With only a couple of weeks to go before the 2019 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras festival begins, SBS is gearing up for its special broadcast of the dazzling parade - set to air on Sunday 3rd March at 8.35pm.
This year, news presenter Narelda Jacobs, comedian Joel Creasey and The Feed’s Patrick Abboud will be joined by local comedian Zoë Coombs Marr to host coverage of the parade.
“It’s a huge privilege to host such an important event," Jacobs said of the news. "As always, I’m humbled by the courageous attitude of our community, who show the world what resilience and love looks like everyday. Forty-one years of pride and protest is an amazing achievement and certainly something to celebrate."
Coombs Marr said the role of host holds a special place in her heart - and not for the reason you might think.
"After face planting in the middle of the parade as a 19 year old, I feel relieved to claw back some of my dignity," she said.
Joel Creasey returns to hosting duties for 2019. Source: SBS
"I’m also filled with immense pride to be part of the LGBTIQ+ family, and cannot wait to be on Oxford St with them showcasing my exceptionally bad dance moves.”
Founded in 1978, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras remains one of the world’s largest and loved LGBTIQ+ celebrations. This year the festival is themed Fearless, honouring the sense of resilience, activism, protest and celebration that makes up the LGBTIQ+ community and fuels the continued fight for equality.
According to SBS, the television broadcast will feature a highlight of floats and costumes from the parade, as well as interviews with celebrities and special guests, commentary from Jacobs and Creasey, and ground coverage from Abboud and Marr.
"It’s an honour and a pleasure to be broadcasting the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade again," said SBS Director of Television and Online Content, Marshall Heald.
He continued: "Every year, the festival is a wonderful celebration of diversity, inclusion and acceptance. SBS is committed to upholding these values across all of our programming, and proud to bring this joyous event to our audience.”
A live stream of the parade will be available on SBS On Demand and the SBS Twitter account and on Saturday 2 March. SBS Arabic 24 will report live from the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade to Arabic-speaking audiences around Australia.
You can watch the SBS parade coverage on Sunday March 3rd at 8.30pm.
